New Jersey mother, son find calling through Special Olympics

William Donahue of Lawrence celebrates his silver medal in the 1500 meter Tuesday at the Special Olympics in Princeton. (Trentonian photo/ JACKIE SCHEAR)

PRINCETON — Through athletes that overcome mental challenges to win a race or merely bonds that they form, there’s inspiration all around the Special Olympics.

For Elizabeth Donahue, the mother of Lawrenceville native and Team New Jersey member William Donahue, one of her fondest memories came three weeks ago at TCNJ.

At the opening ceremony to this summer’s national games, Karen Byrne, a 30-year Special Olympics veteran, awarded a medal she was wearing to a military officer.

“She took her medal off her neck and said, ‘Here, you deserve this more than I do,’” Elizabeth said. “She’s amazing.”

Advertisement

Byrne will also often slow down in competitions to help another struggling athlete, Elizabeth said.

It’s part of what makes Elizabeth such an avid supporter of the Special Olympics, where her son is competing in his first national games this week at Weaver Stadium.

William, 20, is classified as multiply disabled and has been involved with Special Olympics since he was 8 years old. He’s also an enthusiastic follower of local high school, college and professional sports.

So when he won a silver medal Tuesday in the 1500 meter, no one was happier than Elizabeth.

“I sat there yesterday, I didn’t think he had a snowball of a chance,” she said. “He got out on that track and literally his socks were on upside down, he’s sweating like a pig, he hadn’t had lunch, he lost his shoes. This is reality of a special needs kid, right? I’m like, ‘OK, just don’t let him get lapped,’ and what did he do? I literally had no expectations, and he just ran. He wanted that and he ran with his heart.”

But win or lose, she says what makes the Special Olympics unique is that it’s all about the athletes being there for each other.

“They don’t feel the pressure to be successful,” Elizabeth said. “It’s all about camaraderie and kindness and supporting one another.”

“They’re no different than any other athletes,” said Team New Jersey head coach Jeri Hickey, who has coached Special Olympics for 40 years. “What we do as coaches, we can’t teach them the heart and the dedication. We kind of guide them and show them the rules and regulations, and I think they give back to us more. They teach us life lessons as well as we teach them.”

For as long as she can, Elizabeth wants to continue giving back.

“Every penny I have is going to go to Special Olympics,” she said with a laugh. “It’s the volunteers at the Special Olympics. It’s the coaches, the families. It’s everything. The support that (William) gets from the community with so many people coming to watch him is just so heart-warming. ... Not only are the coaches giving up time and energy, but they’re living with these athletes, managing the logistics. It’s astounding.”

Other inspiration on Team New Jersey can be found within 23-year-old Toms River native Aaron Cassidy. The Ireland-born athlete is running this week for his uncle, a former track star.

Cassidy finished fourth in the 1500 meter with his grandparents, who came all the way from Ireland, looking on.

“It was my uncle who inspired me to become a runner,” Cassidy said. “He did marathons when he was a lot younger and he was the one that inspired me to become who I am today.”